It depends on the size/resolution of your original file. We can comfortably make prints of that size, without pixelation, from the 12MP files derived from our Fuji S2 RAW files.
Have you tried printing off an A4 section of the 36×26" image as a test? Try creating the finished file at 180ppi instead of 300. And dont forget to sharpen after resizing the image, not before.
Tim, if a sharpened test print, as Chris suggested, is not to your liking, you might try first applying a slight Gaussian Blur, maybe 0.5 pixels, before sharpening. The slightly softened result may or may not be what you’re looking for, but it’s worth a test.
Chris, what’s the advantage of printing at 180ppi instead of 300? Faster print speed? And on a separate note, I think some recommend setting Epsons to 330ppi, or is it 350? I have an Epson 1280 and should know this, but I don’t.
what’s the advantage of printing at 180ppi instead of 300?
I’m referring here to the ppi resolution of the file, not the printer’s dpi setting.
The printer driver will interpolate the image file "on the fly" as it maps the pixel information to the ink nozzles. Although 300ppi has become the "industry standard" for images destined for print, the true "ideal resolution" can be lower in the case of ink jets.
There is a school of thought which recommends matching the File ppi with the printer’s dpi.
For instance: If your printer’s "photo quality" setting is 1440 dpi, and there are six inks, the true resolution is 1440 divided by 6 = 240. the theory being that if you send a 240 ppi file to the printer it can be mapped by the printer driver without interpolation.
I doubt, however, that you would ever see the difference with the naked eye.
I ran a test once, with the same image at 300ppi, 240ppi and 180ppi, and I certainly could not see any marked difference in quality.
Less pixel damage will take place by interpolating in Photoshop from the file’s generic size up to the required size at 180ppi.
The other consideration it that the larger the image, the greater the viewing distance is likely to be. Think about those advertising billboards which look great from across the road, but are a mess of dots when you "sniff" them close up!
Hope this helps.
Chris.
Hello. Sorry to change the subject a little but im also fairly new to Adobe and i couldnt find another appropriate topic.
I am looking to create an effect on a banner of 3 joined photos, which -after lots of searching- am not sure is even possible. I want to make the photos merge together, which is an effect i have seen before. An example is the banner of photos over the top of this site
www.aquaxplore.co.uk . It shows a good eample of what i want to do.
Can anyone tell me how to create this effect either with Adobe photoshop elements or Adobe InDesign please?
Thanks
Duncan. Not only have you hi-jacked someone elses thread, you’ve done so in the wrong forum 🙂
The Elements people are a couple of doors further down the hall.
Don’t know much about Elements, but in Photoshop you would use layer masks and feather the selections to Create the soft edge where each image merges into the next.
Go ask in the right place for a detailed, Elements-specific, answer.
And start your own thread when you get there! 😉
